We all have moments of confusion and like the Apostle Paul, we find ourselves saying: “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate” (Rom. 7:15, NLT). There are songs, albums, and books with variations of the term “you don’t know my struggle.” This is to say that you do not or cannot understand what I am going through because my struggle is unique. Is it unique, or does history merely repeat itself?
We are continually inventing new ways of killing people, but killing is not new. Leaders express remorse, saying they do not want to kill but continue killing. Participating in unfruitful works of darkness is not new. To put it bluntly, deception and adultery are not new, and neither is murder, bullying, child molestation, or assault on women. Too many people have ransomed their souls for wealth and power and become futile in their thinking. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Rom. 1:21, ESV).
Admit the struggles to follow the Lord’s way and truth. Remember, Scripture tells us that when Noah built the Ark, “everyone else was evil in God's sight, and violence had spread everywhere” (Gen. 6:11, GNT). We will repeat the same mistakes if we do not learn from the past. We need to examine our lives to see if we are repeating an evil pattern for our good and that of humankind. We may want to love our neighbors and enemies but find a reason not to.
A change of heart is necessary; otherwise, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:26, ESV). Learn from the past and choose a different path. We can use what we know about ourselves to help someone overcome the arrogance of being unique or the shame of feeling different. We are all different. We are also unique but not as special as some might imagine. Whether we are Christian, Atheist, Black, Asian, Democrat, or Republican, we all bleed red and have a heartbeat and a brain. When we put aside our old selves and put on a new image in the likeness of God, we know that we are more alike than different. We are persecuted for our beliefs but find ways to move forward.
We will rejoice in the victories over evil if we open our minds and work to unify humankind. Everyone's faith is occasionally tested and weakened, if only for a moment. In those moments, we feel like we did in our youth, uncertain about ourselves. As we strive for the truth, we will encounter struggles. As followers of God, “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we do not know what to do, we never give up” (2 Cor. 4:8, CEV).
Minister Nettie Pennington, Associate Minister, Springfield MB Church
